St Pete – Felix Rosenqvist fastest in EL1, Romain Grosjean in ambush

Ranking IndyCar 2024 – St Petersburg, Free Practice 1:

• For his first IndyCar weekend with the Meyer Shank Racing team, Felix Rosenqvist could not have hoped for a better start. The Swede, ex-Arrow pilot McLaren, achieved the best time in Friday's training session on the streets of St. Petersburg (Florida).
• « I was quite surprised by this time, said Felix Rosenqvist. I had a good stint on the black tires (Firestone hard tires) to start. I gained confidence, which I spoke about during pre-season testing. Then, on the red wall tires (Firestone soft tires), we took another step in the right direction. The car feels very good. It's a little early to draw conclusions, but it's better than being last! I've given the team a good idea of ​​what I like, and I think it fits pretty well with what we have here. I really like this car. »

• Behind, we find the usual customers of theIndyCar, namely the representatives of Arrow McLaren (Pato O'Ward) Chip Ganassi Racing (Marcus Armstrong) and Team Penske (Will Power). The outgoing champion Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) recorded the 9th time.
• Romain Grosjean, who left Andretti to join the Juncos Hollinger Racing team this winter, got going with the 7th time. “It was a good session. We went in the wrong direction on the settings with the soft tires. There is plenty of room for improvement for the rest of the meeting. I'm happy with where we are now though because we've made good progress since the private tests at Sebring.
• Qualifying for the St Petersburg Grand Prix is ​​scheduled for 20 p.m. French time this Saturday, March 9.

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